In the 9 years that Dave has been in L A, he has contributed to a shocking number of groundbreaking cocktail programs in the city. He has helped to create drink menus at Church and State, The Test Kitchen, La Descarga, Harvard and Stone, Pour Vous and most recently, at the sybaritic, Honeycut where he has settled in and is now operations manager, in addition to managing the Normandie Club and the unique Walker Inn. In the first of two parts to this interview, we talk about Dave’s background and the early intimations of a future life in food and beverage; his discovering the fertile L A drinks scene in 2009; Dave working for 213 Hospitality, Sprout; the Houston Brothers and the Proprietors; company culture at 213 Hospitality, training the next generation of bar professionals; conceptualized bar venues and neo-classic cocktails.